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5 days exactly.   It's also starting to recede from the sides of the mold a bit so I should be able to take that off in a day or two.  I found out the the holes in the mold are slightly larger that the bamboo skewers I got when my mat came apart.  I may use it as a form to pierce this cheese.  That way the piercings will be uniformly spaced.  I can angle the ones closest to the top down and vice versa with the lowest ones.  If the skewers aren't strong enough I can still do this using a stainless steel needle.

I still can't get over the 6 pound make...that is huge by my standards  LOL   Since the wife doesn't like blue cheese...it's up to me, friends and daughter to "dispose" of.   

Best of luck on this make! 

Thanks BB.  I really don't care if no one eats this because I eat blue cheese the way most people eat a wedge of cheddar.  I also love to put it on most everything including those steaks I grill on my Akorn.  At 700F this is going to melt nicely on a big ribeye.

Okay, big day for the unveiling!  I left the cheese in the mold an extra day to make sure it wouldn't collapse on itself.  Really should have taken it out of the mold yesterday though.  No real harm but the sides were a tad bit drier than I would have liked to smooth them.  Still, they did smooth, to a point, and should be fine.  The openings are superficial.  Top and bottom were fine and didn't require smoothing.  Doubt it would have made much difference anyway and I really didn't want to disturb the mold growth. When it's time to pierce it it should have shrunk a bit so I'll be able to slip the mold back over and use the drain holes as a pattern for my piercing needle.  All in all, I'm very pleased with this so far.  Or, as the man said falling from the tall building on the way down,  so far so good, so far so good....

It's that last few inches that get ya!

So far so good!!  LOL

BTW I tried weighing it but our kitchen scales don't go high enough, only 5 pound.  Maybe after it dries out a bit but I doubt it.

The blue veining on the top looks incredibly good. Such nice color 

Thank you Sofus.  I really love the color.  What I love even more is that it's connected to the mold on my cheese. LOL  Hopefully, it will radiate throughout the cheese before it's done.

Starting to get a hint of color on the sides already.

The top and bottom look as if the PR is a very aggressive type
What type of PR are you using??

One I bought from here... 

Turned it again this morning and found that the blue is showing up nicely on the sides now.  They are drying nicely and it seems to be right on schedule for the cave at day 10.  We'll see how it goes as it has to have a molded rind before going into the cave.  If that takes a day or two more than so be it.

That looks awesome Al!  I enjoy watching the progress of your cheeses.

Very nice indeed Al. How long do you plan on leaving it in the cave for? and how many Qt's does your pot hold?

Quote from: sdbennett on January 01, 2013, 07:49:05 PM
That looks awesome Al!  I enjoy watching the progress of your cheeses.

Thank you.  Just learning really but enjoying every moment of it. 

Quote from: shotski on January 01, 2013, 08:59:03 PM
Very nice indeed Al. How long do you plan on leaving it in the cave for? and how many Qt's does your pot hold?

This was done with a 2 gallon and a 5 gallon pot.  2 Gallons in one and 4 in the other.  Probably be in the cave for a couple of months depending on it's progress.  It all depends on how quickly the blue develops and radiates out from the center.  It has to be about 5 weeks old before piercing.